SOMALI PIRATES TRAIL IN HADRAMOUT STARTED

MUKALA, March 08 (Saba) –The Specialized Penal Court in Hadramout province started on Monday a trail of 7 Somalis accused of kidnapping foreign vessels the Yemeni territorial waters and international waters.

In the session chaired by Judge Abdu al-Awadhi, the indictments of the accused were read and the court listened to their words, in which they admitted their crimes, including the weapons seized in their possession.

The public prosecutor's indictment pointed that the defendants participated in a criminal conspiracy to commit kidnapping of foreign vessels in the territorial and international waters and prepared the necessary means to carry out their crimes from, including the boat, weapons, explosives and stairs.

The indictment noted the damages occurred for Yemen's economy due to those acts, as well as putting the safety of navigation and the passageway of ships in the territorial waters of Yemen in danger.

The defendants have illegally entered and resided in the country through slipping by sea to the Yemeni coasts and agreed on implementation of their criminal plan, the indictment pointed out.

The court heard statements from the accused, who asked to appoint a lawyer to defend them in the charges against them, and decided to call their lawyers to the next hearings.

In recent years, piracy has soared off Somalia sparking regional and international concerns over threats to one of the world's busiest waterways, where about 20,000 vessels pass a year.

In response, many countries dispatched anti-pirate missions into the region, which are now patrolling the Arabian and Red Seas.

According to economic experts Yemen's economy are badly affected by piracy. The increasing piracy attacks have affected navigation activities in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait. The national economy has sustained huge losses caused by piracy because of reduction numbers of ships using Yemeni ports for fuelling and services.

Piracy has been growing because of the deteriorating situations in Somalia that forced over 700,000 people seeking refuge in Yemen.

The continuous disorder there and absence of state have encouraged pirates to expand their operations to interrupt international commercial ships.

In 2009, about 45 piracy attacks have been reported in addition to 209 attempts of piracy, compared to about 42 kidnapping cases and 69 attempts in 2008.

BA